Warrior's Council
The Warrior's Council takes place in the Warrior's Cave. The Prince calls his hunters to him to discuss issues that he needs many opinions on and that affect the whole of the Carpathian people. At least one male from every family attends the council. A meeting of this magnitude can last several hours to many risings, depending on the severity of the issue(s) they are discussing. There are crystals around the room, harmonizing with each other even as they represent fallen warriors and their families, as well as those within the room. Process The prince sends out a call to the hunts, telling them of his need for help on a serious issue that faces their people. Upon entering the chamber, you can see that the males without lifemates tend to band together, as do those with lifemates. However, this does not stop the warriors from mingling with everyone, standing next to their friends and families. Before the prince begins the meeting, the hunters are able to discuss the issues and share opinions. To start the meeting, the prince walks to the center of the room and impales his hand on the sharp crystal there. The crystals around the room, each with their own particular hum, but the largest being next to the sharp crystal is there for those that came before, allowing them to accept or reject a warrior from the council. When the prince removes his hand, he stands next to the sharp crystal so that he can read what the ancients say through the large crystal. In turn, the hunters go up to the sharp crystal and impales their hand, kneeling towards the prince to swear allegiance. Once this is done, the discussions can begin. If a Warrior's Council is to take place over many risings, this is only done once. Recent Years It was only recently that women were allowed to join the Warrior's Council. Usually, women would prepare for children about to be born or talk in a different chamber, leaving the fate of their people to the hunters who would be on the front lines. However, with the discovery of warrior women, there was a discussion if they should join their lifemates on the battlefield or not. Some of these warrior women were at the council, even accepted by the crystal. With their people divided over the issue, the prince at that time, Mikhail Dubrinsky, knew that with the change in the world around them, the Carpathian people had to change at all. He said that those women who were warriors had a right to fight beside their lifemates and protect their people. He acknowledged that not all women are warriors, but allowing the women to learn to defend themselves would give the males some peace of mind. Trivia On page 165 of Dark Blood, council is misspelled as counsel. This is probably because the two words have related meanings. A council is a group where advice is exchanged, whereas counsel means to give advice. Category:World of Carpathians Category:Rituals